Hot Spring Inn / The Yukinoshita Family Affair

Haruno suddenly started talking to Michiyo about something rather heavy.

"Is... is that so?"

There was no distance between Michiyo and Hitori, but if she had to be honest, betrayal had indeed happened. It just was not the "inferior overthrowing the superior" Haruno spoke of, but rather "the superior bullying the inferior."

She had secretly devoured Luo Zhen clean behind Hitori's back.

"So, wealthy people have been placing more importance on natural childbirth lately. As expected, being connected by blood is still better."

Haruno said that when a child had not come from its mother's womb, there was always a sense that something was lacking.

Hot Spring Inn

Michiyo had not expected Haruno to suddenly bring up something like this.

To be honest, she did not feel much about those words.

A naturally born child? It did not seem like such a big deal. Blood ties were indeed important.

Michiyo thought about it, then suddenly came to a realization.

Why did she feel that it did not matter? Because she had already "secured" such a "resource."

She was still fairly young, only in her thirties, a perfectly standard young mother. Luo Zhen was also a strong, vigorous young man, fresh-faced and full of vitality.

She and Luo Zhen had gone in directly without using an umbrella.

Moreover, she had observed that his milk supply was abundant and extremely thick.

Rather than milk, it was more like thick white porridge.

If this continued, then based on probability alone, they would hit the target sooner or later.

"But bringing a man home to marry isn't easy."

Haruno muttered to herself.

"Would it really be that difficult? Logically speaking, if you have money and resources, it should be pretty easy, right?"

Michiyo did not understand. Shouldn't wealthy people be able to handle something like this effortlessly?

"There have already been several cases where people got married and divorced at lightning speed, splitting off more than half the family assets."

"And lately, with the Polygamy and Polyandry Law being implemented, one man marries several women, then divorces all of them at once."

"He directly takes multiple people's assets and becomes financially free in one go."

Not only did they have to divide their assets, but they also had to continue paying support afterward. In short, it was extremely troublesome.

"My God, it can even trigger a chain reaction? Isn't that a little too exaggerated?"

Michiyo was not worried that Luo Zhen would do such a thing.

Even if Luo Zhen wanted something, he only needed to ask. Michiyo would definitely satisfy him.

"It's not exaggerated at all. You know that this law is actually pretty outrageous."

"That has left many men deeply dissatisfied. They feel like they've become tools for reproduction."

"Public opinion like that has always existed, so when relevant legal rulings are made, there will naturally be some... bias."

Unexpectedly, the two of them were actually able to converse so smoothly about such matters.

Haruno found it rather unbelievable too, but she had not finished speaking.

"Marriage comes with risks. Many wealthy people have started becoming afraid, but then someone came up with a brilliant solution."

"At the end of the day, what they want is the feeling of being connected by blood. The father's role is not actually that important."

"As long as the child is born from the womb, that's enough. And doing that is actually quite simple."

"You just have to get your hands on the 'seed.'"

This peculiar method was, simply put, "borrowing seed."

Michiyo's eyes widened, and a chill suddenly ran down her spine.

Why had her superior suddenly joined this trip? Why had she suddenly brought up all these topics?

"I remember there being something like a seed bank. If you need it, can't you just go there and get some? Money should solve that easily."

Michiyo's gaze fell on Luo Zhen.

She was afraid Haruno would suddenly submit an application to borrow his seed. That would be utterly ridiculous.

"I was just talking casually. Why are you so nervous?"

"Don't worry. My family is fairly relaxed about these things, so it doesn't matter to me."

Haruno said with a smile, but her gaze landed on Yukino.

"However, seed banks actually come with certain risks too."

"This was a case from overseas. A man's seed was borrowed, and the woman subsequently gave birth to the child."

"Then the man sued the woman and directly received a huge sum in compensation."

Haruno's voice was utterly calm and even carried a trace of amusement, but the information she revealed was terrifying.

Men were so scary. Even wealthy people could end up with headaches because of them?

Fortunately, the one she had encountered was not some absurd person, but soft and sweet Luo Zhen.

Everyone else in the car had heard the conversation between the two of them.

But Luo Zhen scoffed at it. As long as one had money, such matters could still be handled.

The risk did exist, but it was not as serious as she made it sound. She was being somewhat alarmist.

This was merely casual conversation. There was no need to make such a big deal out of it.

Hitori immediately began trembling, glancing at Luo Zhen several times before she finally managed to steady herself.

The one who remained as calm as Luo Zhen was Yukino Yukinoshita.

Her gaze swept over her sister's face, as though she had seen through her true intentions.

The hot spring inn was not particularly far away. After driving for a while, they had more or less arrived.

It was a rural area, and the surroundings looked entirely unremarkable. Everyone got out of the car carrying their luggage.

Yukino was unexpectedly gentlemanly and helped Luo Zhen carry his luggage.

Luo Zhen thanked her as he casually took it from her.

Men had become increasingly frail. According to scientific data, male physical fitness had been gradually declining for many years.

In Yukino's eyes, Luo Zhen was naturally a weak man.

However, Luo Zhen kept up with his training and was covered in solid muscle.

He was considering finding a girl who knew martial arts after going back. Perhaps a little sparring would let him acquire some powerful skills.

Haruno led everyone into the inn. She was highly efficient and quickly arranged everything.

"Even though it's still early, let's soak first, then have lunch."

Haruno stretched lazily. She was clearly planning to relax properly.

The Goto Family was given an enormous room, and Luo Zhen naturally stayed with them.

The Yukino Shita Family sisters chose a medium-sized room.

After putting down their luggage, everyone set off.

The men's bath was small, but there was no one else inside. After washing himself, Luo Zhen went straight into the water.

A white towel covered his head as soft, hot water wrapped around his entire body. He narrowed his eyes and enjoyed himself.

After leaving the hot spring, Luo Zhen felt incredibly relaxed from head to toe, utterly refreshed.

Naturally, what followed was mealtime.

At Haruno's suggestion, the two families sat together to enjoy the food.

The feast was lavish, but they soon encountered a small problem.

A mature beauty wearing a kimono pushed open the door. Her gaze swept through the room like thunder before quickly locking onto Haruno.

"Why didn't you attend the blind date arranged for today?"

This was the one in charge of the Yukino Shita Family, the sisters' mother.

Mother Yukino frowned, visibly angry.

"Ahaha, wasn't I building rapport with my subordinate?"

"Goto Michiyo is our company's star employee. She has already secured multiple orders."

"I thought that if I want to take control of the company in the future, I need to maintain a good relationship with her."

Haruno was already breaking out in a cold sweat as she hurriedly explained.

The company's big boss had arrived, someone of even higher standing than Haruno, her superior.

Michiyo sat up straight and quickly greeted her.

"Mm, I know about you. You've indeed done very well. I was preparing to promote you to senior management."

Mother Yukino nodded. Naturally, a reliable employee like Michiyo had to be treated well.

It could even be said that this hot spring trip had been a reward arranged by Mother Yukino.

Yukino Shita Family Matters

Mother Yukino praised Michiyo's great achievements. As long as she maintained this work ethic and brought enough profit to the company, her future accomplishments would rise even higher. She might even receive shares.

"I won't keep this glory to myself. Your contributions are so great that I certainly won't forget what you've done."

Mother Yukino even sat down and began chatting enthusiastically with Michiyo.

Haruno, meanwhile, snickered to herself. She felt that she had narrowly escaped disaster.

Luo Zhen watched her expression change and narrowed his eyes slightly. He could see it now: Haruno had suddenly inserted herself into the trip purely to avoid the blind date.

She did not seem particularly interested in men. When she looked at Luo Zhen, there was none of that impatient gaze that wanted to devour him whole.

Luo Zhen felt that she definitely had desires, but she was better at regulating herself and would not be overwhelmed by them.

In other words, she was not some sexually repressed lunatic. Reason always suppressed the impulses in her heart.

"That's right, Mother. It was precisely because she is outstanding that I had to come along on this reward trip."

Haruno smiled, while Yukino sighed helplessly beside her.

She was taking advantage and still acting innocent.

"Shut up. I haven't settled the matter of you skipping the blind date yet."

Mother Yukino shot Haruno a fierce glare.

"Oh, I'm doing this for the family's good too. Who knows whether that man you picked might pull some bizarre stunt?"

"If he causes trouble and demands a divorce after getting married, we'll have to split the family assets."

Haruno's gaze darted away as she immediately came up with another excuse.

"The family assets are in my hands. How could anyone else divide them? Besides, I chose carefully. How could I possibly find you one of those men who only want money?"

"Moreover, from a long-term perspective, as long as the Yukino Shita Family continues making money and keeps developing."

"Why would he divorce just to get money? Maintaining the marriage would bring him more benefits instead."

Mother Yukino calmly analyzed the matter for her.

Just as Luo Zhen had thought before, such cases did exist. But saying that all men were like that would be far too extreme.

A small probability should not be used to reject everything outright. It was merely an excuse Haruno used to avoid the blind date.

Haruno's gaze began to shift evasively.

"Actually, I've already found the one I love!"